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Discover Illinois! 7th Grade

Students will understand the varied geographical features of Illinois.

Students will gain deepen their knowledge of President Lincoln.

Students will gain exposure to the state government in preparation for 8th grade.

Students will gain a deeper knowledge of Illinois’ place during the Civil War.

Students will understand the importance the Mississippi River on Illinois and the region.

Students will explore the history of Chicago.

The 7th grade students will be exploring their state of Illinois and neighboring St. Louis. This trip will be a three day, two night trip supervised by several teachers and administrators. The remaining two days will be spent in Chicago. The trip will visit the geographically beautiful Starved Rock State Park. The journey will continue to the state capital where the students will get an up close look at our state government and also to take in the Lincoln sites. Students will also travel to St. Louis. Students will also take part in an exploration field trip of Chicago by visiting the Chicago History Museum and other neighborhoods in area. The students will travel via coach bus and leave from and arrive at school. Itinerary is being finalized and will be announced in September.

ILLINOIS AND SPRINGFIELD TRIP FACULTYDr. Erika Mickelburgh is currently the Head of the Secondary School; a native of upstate New York, she is excited to return to her original Agora Trip, Discover Illinois! Last year she traveled with high school students on the New York City Agora trip. She has served as an administrator for the past 14 years and is excited to return to her roots as an English and History Teacher in learning more about Illinois!

Janelle Stolz is in her second year of teaching at SBPS. She earned her Bachelor's degree at Illinois State University and she currently teaches middle and high school science. Last year, she lead the S.T.E.M. AGORA for high schoolers. One of her favorite places is Starved Rock and she is very excited to share her love of the outdoors with students.

Mary Deletioglu is embarking on her seventh year teaching at Ben’s. She is the Chair of the Math Department and teaches all things mathematical. She has earned her BA and M.ED from DePaul University. Last year she traveled with the high school students to Greece and Turkey.